Alone with Si-hoo # 3
Alone with Si-hoo # 3
Overwhelming force radiated from the blade. So this was what it felt like to join the ranks of the strong. More than anyone, I wanted to get drunk on my own power—but now that I had actually reached this level, I couldn't afford that kind of carelessness.
Because even my instincts had become those of a powerhouse.
My body has become incapable of carelessness.
I can never go back to the person I was.
"Aah."
The sword aura contained in my blade at that moment was my lament for that.
And now, as one of the strong, I will use my full power to grant you a swift death.
Sorez.
—Fwoosh!
Maintaining the blue sword aura flowing from the blade, I pursued the Sorez as it smashed through concrete platforms and fled.
"Skreeeeek!"
—Papapak!
It was leaping around pretty well on those two spider-like legs.
"But by now you must realize that I am your death."
What does the reaper you're looking at right now look like?
"I'm sure it looks like this Kim Geun-cheol."
There was nothing to fear. My senses were razor-sharp, probably because I'd reached the realm of a peak expert. There's nothing else around here except for that thing.
Just then.
—Fwoosh!
At last, the rooftop relay came to an end. The fleeing Sorez had jumped off.
Simultaneously.
—Crash!
—Beep-beep-beep!
That sound of a car getting wrecked along with a car alarm... this bastard?!
I ran over and looked down.
"Th-that son of a bitch!"
My Damas was completely totaled!
"Of all the places to land, why there?!"
It destroyed my Damas, a car that's been discontinued and isn't even made anymore! That crazy bastard...! Wait. Isn't this actually a good thing? Anyone who drives a Damas is practically a living corpse. That absurdly flimsy body means you can die from even a minor accident. The Damas is both a familiar companion and a reaper that drives its owner to death.
In a way, that monster kind of saved a human life.
"Heh! It can't be helped!"
I immediately turned around and tore down the stairs. It had just fallen. There was no way it could escape easily.
"Skreee...!"
As expected. The Sorez was crawling with effort from the impact of the fall. This would be simple.
"Die."
Leaving behind a single word, I kicked off the ground.
—Shwaaack!
The moment I swung my sword lightly and sliced across its back and waist.
"Skreeeeek!"
As if cutting tofu, the blade effortlessly split the creature's waist. I knew it instinctively. This was the power of sword aura.
It was a power capable of simply butchering an F-rank monster.
"Ooh!"
It's as simple as killing a hologram monster at the training ground!
"Gek."
The Sorez, split in two, sprawled out, and I immediately deactivated the sword aura. I could tell I'd consumed most of my magic power.
And then I heard it.
—Ding.
"The notification sound!"
[20 Coin acquired.]
But one F-rank monster is only 20 coins?
Cheap as hell.
"Ugh."
A surge of rage welled up for a moment, but yeah. I've become magnanimous, so I shook off the anger immediately. That wasn't what mattered right now.
"Sword aura? For real? No kidding?"
Sword aura came out of my blade. And I could maintain it according to my will. Did I suddenly get stronger? Did I awaken through rage and unleash my true power?
"No."
That's not it.
"Skill window."
I opened the skill window immediately.
_____________________
[Weapon Enchantment]
(Skill Rank: F)
(Lv.1)
-A skill that envelops a weapon in magic power. The magic power sheathing the blade will more easily cut through the dimensional shields of monsters.
_____________________
Weapon Enchantment—the skill I'd left untouched because I didn't know how to use it. This was it. The sword aura from just now was probably this skill called Weapon Enchantment manifesting.
Reading the description alone makes it clear. What surrounded my blade just now was my magic power.
"Hehehe."
Well, it doesn't matter. The maintenance time seems short as hell, but now I've become a proper Aura User. With this much, I'm a Sword Expert. Translating it into martial arts terms, I'm on the level of a peak expert.
Keh. Anyway.
I'm an Awakened in my own right, aren't I?
To think I'd butcher an F-rank monster in a single stroke in real combat.
As I was walking down the empty street, admiring myself.
—Waaaaaaaaaaang!!!
The alert finally started blaring.
"Too late."
But Si-hoo said this was an abnormal situation. The response might be a little slow because of that. Let's see. Should I head back to the safe zone now? Or look for Si-hoo?
First, it seems safe around here—
—Click-clack.
"Hm?"
Where's that clicking sound coming from?
Leona immediately came to mind.
But it was subtly different.
"..."
The moment I rounded the corner following the sound.
"What the—?!"
I was completely shocked!
"H-hey! Hey! You there!"
Some blonde girl was walking along!
A dress shirt and a black skirt! And the kid was wearing long socks and high heels! No matter how I looked at it, that was a seriously peculiar outfit!
"No, shit! A little kid shouldn't be on a battlefield!"
My astonishment snapped my mind back into focus!
Why's a kid here!
"Hmm?"
"Hey! Squirt! Look at me for a sec!"
When I shouted fiercely, the girl turned to look at me. Was she... a foreigner? She was pretty, and her red eyes were unusual too.
"Who's this guy? Ah. Are you a cadet?"
"If you know that, why the hell are you so relaxed! Hey, kid! Can't you see the emergency bell's ringing! The monsters showed up!"
"Aah. Monsters?"
Has this kid got nerves of steel or what?! Who walks around so casually on a battlefield?! This won't do. I have to rescue her fast!
"Hey! Anyway, run away with me! Come here!"
"Uh, uuh?"
I strode right over and grabbed the little girl's wrist. Just what the hell was her mom doing to leave a kid unattended like this?
"Hey, hold on a sec. Calm down."
"What...!"
How's a kid this strong?
"Trying to drag me off all of a sudden. In human terms, isn't this kidnapping?"
The girl, who had braced her stance, grinned as she spoke.
No, but this kid!
"Kidnapping, my ass! Hey! Hurry up and come! I'm a scary guy! If you don't follow, I'll lose it!"
"Y-you, you're not really a kidnapper, are you?"
"Is this the time for jokes?! Monsters are showing up here! Ah, shit! This won't do!"
—Swoop!
"Kyaaak?!"
All other operations are suspended!
From now on, I'm prioritizing moving this child to a safe zone! Si-hoo's a tough bastard—he'll manage on his own just fine!
"Stay still!"
I grabbed and hoisted the little girl. Just like a bandit kidnapping a woman from a village, I swung her over my shoulder.
"What are you doing?!"
"Be quiet! We have to run! You wanna get hurt?! No matter what happens, I'm getting you to a safe zone!"
—Fwoosh!
And so I ran with the little girl slung over my shoulder. Heading towards the school should be safe for now.
"He-ey. Just a momen-ent. Please calm do-own."
"Calm down my ass...! Hey! Where's your mom?! Who told you it's okay to wander around when it's dangerous?!"
This is that girl's mother's fault. What kind of upbringing does a kid have where she's walking casually down the street while the emergency bell is blaring? In this kind of world, a normal parent would've absolutely drilled into her head to run the moment the emergency bell goes off.
At the very least, if I were a dad, I'd have hammered it into her brain no matter what.
"I don't have a mom..."
"Hurk!"
Don't tell me she's an orphan!
Then I'm sorry!
"That's a mean thing to say..."
"Hey! Hey! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me!"
"..."
"I'm an orphan too! So cut me some slack!"
"Hmm? You're an orphan?"
"Yeah."
"Really? Then you don't have to be sorry. I do have an older sister, though."
So she's got a sister.
"But hey. Can't I walk around by myself?"
"Of course not, kid! It's dangerous! Gates are popping up all over the goddamn place right now! I literally just killed a monster a moment ago, I tell you!"
"Woah. You killed a monster? A Sorez?"
Exactly that!
"Yeah. It was one of those monsters that seem like they belong in myth. You know Greek and Roman mythology, right? It was like one of the things from there. Death itself, seriously. And there's a few of those dangerous bastards roaming around right now, goddamn it."
"Pfft...! No, hey. What's this about Greek and Roman mythology? Sorez are the weakest guys."
"It's a mistake to underestimate them just because they're F-rank monsters, little one."
"They're not really dangerous..."
The kid just doesn't get it. They've assigned ranks to these monsters, but in the end, a monster is a monster. If there's a rank, it's obviously dangerous. Honestly, even though I'm an Awakened, if I recklessly let myself get hit, I'd definitely get killed even by an F-rank monster.
"What do you mean 'not dangerous'? What kind of bullshit is that. Anyway, hey. Just stay quiet before I yell at you more. I'll take you somewhere safe, okay? Kids are beings who should be protected."
"B-beings who should be... protected?"
The girl questioned those words.
As if she'd never heard anything like that before.
"Yeah. You should be protected."
As I was running with her slung over my shoulder.
—Dudududu!
Starting with the moment a helicopter flew in from over there.
—Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Even an armored vehicle showed up.
"Alright! Our glorious soldiers have finally arriv—hm?"
But it wasn't just that. Behind the armored vehicle... were those armored infantry wearing some kind of red powered suits following along?
"What the hell is that?!"
—Boom!
They even had jetpacks on their backs or something! One of the armored infantry did a little jump and then flew at low speed all the way to the rooftop of a building!
And they were even holding machine guns of a similar class to the M60!
"Whoa! Soldiers here use stuff like that?!"
"'Here'?"
"Something like that!"
"Ah, but... Geun-cheol? Can you put me down now?"
"I can't put you down right now. We gotta stick together a little longer until it's safe. I'll take you to the safe zone first and hand you over to the soldiers."
"Hmm... You're really nice, you know? Going so far as to rescue kids."
"If there's a kid on a battlefield, you rescue them. Obviously."
"Is that common sense...? Mm. Kids should be protected."
As I approached the armored infantry like that.
—Clank-clank-clank.
A Master Sergeant—his rank insignia on his helmet—walked over with clanking steps.
"Hello there, uh, boss? You a cadet? We gotta start our operation now. If you're gonna participate, there's a rally point over there. If you'd kindly head over there..."
Yep, that's a ROK soldier.
That "boss" is "sajang-nim," a term soldiers use to address any civilian they encounter during operations or training. No matter who you are, they usually call you "seonsaengnim" or "sajangnim."
"Oh, yes. Well, Sergeant? I'm not going to participate; I'm trying to retreat. Should I head to the temple?"
"Yes. If you go over there, you're good."
"Oh, yes. Good luck out there."
"Alright."
After finishing my exchange with the armored Master Sergeant, I headed in the direction he'd pointed me.
"Hey. If we go over there, we'll be... hm?"
What?
"Gone?"
The girl I had slung over my shoulder was gone. No, what? What the hell happened? I was definitely carrying her?
The girl had vanished without a trace.
"Son of a...!"
Where did I lose her?!
I immediately ran towards the infantry!
"H-hey! Excuse me! Sergeant!"
"Yes? Cadet? What's the matter?"
"Did you happen to see a girl?! I rescued her and was carrying her over my shoulder!"
"A girl? Didn't see anything like that... Ah! You mean there's an isolated girl in the operation zone! Understood! Hoo-hoo! Cuckoo to Papa-jang, this is Cuckoo, reporting. Cadet reports civilian girl in the operation area. Civilian girl confirmed. How copy? Cadet! Give me the kid's description!"
"Yes...!"
I immediately gave the Master Sergeant the kid's description and took off running.
"Ah, shit! The hell, just disappearing like that!"
Did she sneak away while I was talking?
What the hell is that kid's deal?
"That crazy brat, seriously!"
I'm starting to get unsettled. If that kid wanders around on her own and runs into a monster, it's guaranteed death...! Aimlessly searching is stupid. First, to secure my field of view, I made my way up to the rooftop of a nearby building.
But once I got to the rooftop and looked over there.
"What the heeeeell?!"
—Crash!
—Boom!
Over there, Si-hoo was fighting flying monsters that looked like moths the size of a mid-size car! That crazy bastard! He's fighting things like that all by himself?! I wanted to help him, but at my current level, I'd just be in the way!
—Ratatatata!
Anyway, attack helicopters were flying around the area, and armored infantry machine gunners had already taken positions on the rooftops, aiming in that direction.
—Cadet! Cadet! A hero will arrive soon! Please withdraw from the front line!
A loud broadcast rang out.
At the same time.
—Fwoosh!
A suit-wearing guy carrying a lance straight out of a knight's tale leaped up.